Old Friends, New Threats
by Super Shadowhenshin
Summary: With the Dino Thunder Rangers all but dismantled by Lord Drakkon Hayley has to bring the Zeo Rangers back into action. But when only three of the Rangers arrive Hayley is forced into shoes she had never seen herself having to fill. Things only continue to heat up when Lord Drakkon revives an ancient and powerful sorcerer, a morphological monster with a bit of loud mouth.
1. Chapter 1

Three days had passed since Kira disappeared and Ethan was captured. Soon after that Conner announced his loyalty to Lord Drakkon, the creature that had posed as Tommy to infiltrate the team and tear them apart. The Dino Thunder team was dead; it had collapsed and sunk into the murky depths.

Trent was the only Ranger Reefside had left. Unfortunately, he was in ruins himself. The loss of Kira hit him like a gunshot. He had cried and begged Hayley for any solution, but there was none.

 _"All we can do is hope she managed to find Tommy,"_ Was the only thing she could say to Trent.

Hayley looked out the wide windows of Cyberspace. She had closed the cafe for the day, but she was still expecting several visitors.

At twelve o'clock sharp a jeep pulled in. A young man roughly the same age as Tommy stepped up to the door.

He flashed a charming smile, "I take it you're Hayley."

"That would be me," She said. It was radically uplifting to see such a cheerful expression. "And you're?"

"Adam Park."

Soon after two more cars arrived. A built man with a kind face and a dignified woman with a tall posture and a serious face stepped into the cafe.

Adam smiled and rushed over to the two figures. "Tanya, Rocky! It's been years!"

The three former Rangers engaged in a series of jokes and small talk. Hayley let it all play out. Despite the fact she was struck with a discrete jealousy it was interesting to see the iconic Ranger chemistry.

"So," Hayley finally said, "does everyone have what I asked you to bring?"

The three gave a collective nod and each of them drew their dual bracelet morphers.

"I gotta admit I didn't think I'd ever need my Zeonizer again," Adam said.

"No kidding," Rocky exclaimed, "I found mine under a pile of old blue shirts and a Playboy magazine."

The three laughed for a few more moments before Adam stopped and looked at the clock on the wall. "Hey, Hayley isn't Kat coming?"

Hayley shook her head, "Even Tommy couldn't find her number, it's like she disappeared off the face of the Earth."

Tanya lowered her head, "I heard she moved back to Australia after the breakup but that's all I know myself."

"Tommy also wanted Jason to take the mantle of Zeo Ranger Five in his absence but unfortunately I can't find him either."

"It's weird how we've all gotten so distant," Adam muttered.

"Yeah," Rocky said, "Tommy and Jason went to the moon without even telling us. I mean he took _every_ _other_ Red Ranger. He even took the Aquitian Ranger for God's sake!"

Adam put his hand on Rocky's shoulder, "To be fair you aren't exactly representing red very well." He said and looked down at Rocky's blue shirt.

"Haha, good one," Rocky said, "But I coulda wore my ninja suit or something."

"You were hardly red even when you wore it," Adam teased, "Everyone knew Tommy called the shots. You were more like second in command."

"Or Tommy's butler," Tanya joined in.

"Red's Red guys," Rocky said with a flushed expression, "No matter who's in charge."

"Did someone say red?" A voice called as two figures stepped into the cafe.

"Because I think we can help clear the vacuum," the other man said.

The two were both dressed in military uniforms. One wore a barrette while the other had a simple cap, they both carried the same silver badge on their chests/

"I know you guys," Rocky said, "You were all over the news a few years ago. Wes Collins and Eric Myers."

"In the flesh," Eric said with a sideways grin.

"Tommy kept close to the Silver Guardians," Hayley explained.

"Well he had to be talking to _someone_ ," Adam said, "and it wasn't me."

"Or me," Rocky added.

Everyone looked to Tanya, but she didn't need to speak to give an answer.

"Rest assured we're doing everything we can to keep an eye on Lord Drakkon," Wes said.

"So where's the new guy?" Eric asked, "You said there was still one Ranger left."

"Yeah," Hayley breathed, "Trent is taking things pretty hard."

"Well he can't just hide in his room," Eric said. "He's got a job to do."

"You don't understand," Hayley said. "It's all happening too fast for him."

"Well he better get a grip," Eric said, "Because the big baddies won't wait on him."

* * *

Trent Mercer stepped into his empty house. The sound of his shuffling feet was far too overwhelming. It had been weeks since he discovered his father was Mesogog, and weeks since his father had permanently disappeared.

Fear ran rampant through his body. What if Mesogog had completely taken over, or worse, what if that evil had done something unthinkable.

"Missing your daddy?" A taunting voice called out of Anton's bedroom.

Trent's blood ran cold. That voice was unmistakable.

Trent put his hand to his Morpher as the man stepped into the living room.

Lord Drakkon looked so much like Tommy it was unnerving. What only increased the creep factor was the devilish expression on his face.

"Oh relax," Lord Drakkon said, "If I was here to fight I'd have brought some backup."

"What do you want?"

"I thought it was time someone broke the news."

"What are you talking about?" Trent hissed.

"The passing of your dearly adopted father," Lord Drakkon spoke with a clear and formal dictation.

"You're lying!" Trent screamed.

Lord Drakkon merely dropped a heavily mutated hand and let it hit the floor with a dull thud.

Trent didn't think. Instead, he simply charged blindly at the evil Ranger.

Lord Drakkon caught Trent's fist flawlessly. "I was an orphan too you know."

"You killed my dad!" Trent screamed.

"Surprisingly I didn't," Lord Drakkon said. "And if you stopped trying to pound my face in maybe I could explain."

Trent lowered his hands.

"That's better," Lord Drakkon said and sat down in Anton's favorite lay-z-boy.

"Speak," Trent barked.

"Conner did it in self-defense. Your father was too far gone. There was nothing anyone could do."

"I hope you understand why I think that's bullshit," Trent replied.

"That's fine," Lord Drakkon said. "I hope you'll understand in time. I hope you'll learn to trust me."

"What do you mean?" Trent said. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I remember what it felt like to be lost," Lord Drakkon said, "With no one to give me guidance."

"I know what you're gonna say," Trent said. "And you're hardly Darth Vader."

"Conner has already joined me. Now, why would he do that?"

"Because you sociopaths love brainwashing people."

"You're not the first person to call me that," Lord Drakkon said with a smile, "But again, your assumption is far from the truth."

"Give me one good reason to join you."

"So you're considering it," Lord Drakkon said with a glimmer in his eyes. "Well, my fellow White Ranger, you need guidance. You need someone to lead you down the path to success."

"You expect me to think that person is you?"

"Well of course. I'm a fellow orphan, a fellow lost soul, a fellow Ranger."

Lord Drakkon held out his hand. Trent couldn't help but stare at it. He swallowed hard, feeling his body flooded with adrenaline.

"No," Trent spat out, "Not after what you did to Kira."

In a flash of white light, Trent transformed into the White Ranger.

"Kira's fine," Lord Drakkon said. "You may even visit her if you like."

The White Ranger lowered his blade.

"She was being irrational and violent. I spent her to my home dimension so that she could calm down. And who knows, she might realize how peaceful my practices are and return with an open mind."

In a flash of reflexes, Trent sent a volley of energy arrows at the alternate Tommy's head. "If Kira didn't trust you that's all the evidence I need."

As the arrows exploded around Lord Drakkon he remained calm and unshaken. Blood streaked across his pale face.

"Very well," he said as an invisportal opened behind him. "You will see my face among the burning cinders and you will recognize me as the man who set your world ablaze!" He then slipped into the portal.

The White Ranger tried to chase after him, but by the time he reached the portal there was only empty air.

* * *

Hayley was feeling sick again. It had been coming on periodically since she discovered Lord Drakkon's trickery. She supposed it was nerves or something of the sort.

It was a late night and the freshly recruited Rangers fled to their hotel rooms to rest. Hayley was thankful that Bio-Labs was willing to finance the living expenses because Hayley was admittedly a stone throw away from broke.

The doors to Cyberspace swung open and Trent rushed in. His face was ghostly and coated in sweat. He didn't look grief stricken, he looked terrified.

"What's wrong Trent?"

"Mesogog is dead!" The White Ranger blurred out.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Lord Drakkon came to tell me," Trent said.

"But why would he go to that much trouble just to tell you that?"

"Because my dad and Mesogog are the same people!" Trent exploded.

The truth came out, and the truth gave way to silence.

"This isn't going to get any easier is it?" Hayley asked, feeling more than a little fatigued.

* * *

Elsa threw the tray of food down at the mysterious prisoner's feet. She didn't understand why Lord Drakkon wanted to keep him around but she wasn't in any position to question him.

The Ranger dug into the gruel with his bare hands. Starvation robbed him of any dignity and it was rather disgusting.

In the corner of the same cell was Ethan. The poor kid hadn't eaten in the past four days. He didn't speak either, just sat in the shadows. Elsa had to admit she actually felt pretty bad for him.

"Are you just gonna keep letting him call the shots?" The prisoner called out. His green eyes were alight with hatred. "After he killed your master?"

"As long as I'm not in the cage too," Elsa muttered.

"You might not be in the cage but you're still a prisoner."

"Whatever," Elsa scuffed and walked off.

She entered the main quarters where Lord Drakkon was sparring with Conner. Or at least what was living in his skin. It was an insane transformation; it was greater than even mind control could do. It was as if a parasite had crawled into his ear and claimed control of his body.

She remembered when he had insisted on creating a video message to Hayley explaining his change in legions just to play with her fragile emotions. It was more diabolical than anything she could have thought of.

"Miss Elsa?" A rough voice asked. She turned to see Lord Drakkon's lackey, Finster, said. "Would you mind coming with me?"

"No," she muttered and followed him through the hallways. They passed the motionless Black Dragon, which apparently was Lord Drakkon's personal killing machine.

Finster had taken a laboratory deep under the island. It was a musky and decrepit part of the fortress. So much so he had managed to remain unnoticed for so long.

A foul smell hit Elsa's nose and she began to feel lightheaded. The unspeakable mess atop Finster's operating table didn't help much.

"Under Lord Drakkon's orders I was instructed to rebuild the one known as Zeltrex, only I'm supposed to omit the fleshy parts and replace it was more co-operable machines," Finster explained. "The only problem is that I'm running low on materials. Would you be able to help me access Mesogog's resources vaults?"

Elsa stared at the decaying flesh on the table. Her world had devolved into an utter madhouse. This was a living hell and the specimen on the operating table showed where her future may lay.

"Of course," she muttered. Well, it wasn't like he was going to miss it.

 **A/N: Welcome to the third story in my Personality Shift saga. If you haven't read The Devil's Playground or Personality Shift I would suggest doing that first. If you're all caught up I thank you for getting this far and hope you enjoy what I have in store for you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So sorry for the disappearance. When I had transferred all of my school documents to my personal computer I had actually lost this document.**

 **The lesson for today: Keep your files organized.**

* * *

" _Hello," Conner said calmly through the television set. "I'm sure you've noticed that things are pretty quiet in your neck of the woods." Conner gave a faint chuckle. "Don't worry about me though. I've found a new gig, and it's a pretty good one. Don't worry about Ethan either. He's in safe hands."_

 _A figure stepped out of the ambiguous shadows and placed his hand on Conner's shoulder. It was the Tommy of the other world. He wore his white armor but kept himself helmetless. His smile said everything. He was in charge of whatever operation was being carried out._

" _Just stay low for awhile," The alternate Tommy said with a wink. "I'd hate if you got caught in the crossfire."_

* * *

Hayley awoke with a cold sweat. She couldn't help but expect to find someone standing over her, some silent phantom with a knife in hand.

Deep down she knew there was nothing. The fear wouldn't budge though. It sat in her chest like a shaking child. When Tommy had taken the cloth from her eyes and revealed the terrifying reality he had promised to protect her. Now she was alone in the woods, and she knew full well that wolves were waiting.

Hayley sat up and felt a lurching feeling in her stomach. Maybe she was developing ulcers, though she wasn't convinced that was the case.

In her kitchen, she stared at the open bottle of tequila she had been sipping on slowly throughout the day prior. She hated drinking, but it kept her going.

With a shaking hand, she poured herself a cup of coffee and slipped a few splashes of the clear liquid into a mug. She took a sip and sighed. The warmth from the coffee and the faint fire of the alcohol mixed inside of her empty guts.

Another contraction stabbed her stomach and she dry heaved over the kitchen sink. Nothing escaped her mouth but she was shaken and sick. She held herself up as her legs threatened to go on vacation.

She then poured the rest of her drink down the sink.

Suddenly she didn't feel like drinking.

* * *

Trent was chewing on the end of his pencil. The sick yellow light gave the picture on the table a strange contrast. He worked despite the fact he was more than sick with super heroes.

To be honest he was sick of everything.

Yet it was drawing that lent him sanity. It was the only thing he had left at the moment.

Lord Drakkon was still in the back of his head. In his mind's eye, he could see the knives that were his eyes. He had torn a hole right through Trent and seen something dark and powerful. He had used his words to draw every last bit of toxin out of Trent's head and let it float to the surface.

Anton had adopted Trent at a rather young age, but he had floated around the system for a few months prior. It hadn't been long really, but it had been enough to give him a few scars of his own. It was that acid that had attached itself to Lord Drakkon. Lord Drakkon knew the loneliness. They were both pilgrims of the past. They were both searching for something greater than what the world gave them.

The thought of Kira had been enough to stop himself from allying himself with the devil.

But could he resist forever?

* * *

Adam was having that dream again.

 _He was helplessly walking through some empty field. Empty only meant there was a lack of human life. There were creatures, animals of all sorts hiding among the shadows._

 _He was walking along the trail, it was the same every time, and he already knew how it was going to end._

 _The trail led into a gloomy forest. Trees Adam had never seen in his entire life danced softly all around him._

 _At the end of the trail, he met the creature of his nightmares. A long white scaly creature with the head of a dragon but the body of a tiger._

" _The spirit world calls you near." A voice would say from nowhere._

 _And Adam would awake moments before the creature pounced._

He shot up and whipped the sweat off his forehead. A glance at the cheap hotel alarm clock that revealed it was just about five.

It would be a good time for bagels.

Adam got dressed and headed to the cafeteria. A few microwaved eggs greeted the chewy bacon atop his foam plate.

"Looks lovely," Tanya said as she sat next to him.

Adam felt the tang of electricity. Years ago he and Tanya had something that could almost be stretched into a romance. While his life after had consisted of a few failed factory jobs and an internship with his father he occasionally looked back and felt a faint tingle.

"Yeah," he said and took a forkful of what he had assumed to be eggs.

"So I've been looking for Kat," Tanya said, "Going through the internet and what not."

"And what have you found?"

Tanya frowned, "Nothing… Hayley wasn't lying. It's like she's just disappeared."

"Huh," Adam said. It was admittedly rather strange. Sure, the five of them had all gone separate directions but they had all tried to remain a phone call away.

"Do you think she's okay?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah," Adam said, "Or at least I'd like to think so."

Tanya nodded and bit into a muffin she had collected from the breakfast bar. Adam caught her glimmering eyes and felt a pang inside.

"So… what have you been up to?" Adam asked.

"Well, I've been going through Australian phone books and other public records."

"No, no," Adam said sheepishly, "I mean what have you been doing with your life?"

"Oh," Tanya said with a bit of embarrassment. "I've been working on a charity designed to help developing countries. Teaching them about proper sexual health and other important resources that often get pushed away. They don't always need clean water and shoes."

"That's amazing," Adam said.

Tanya shrugged, "You really think so?"

"Of course," Adam said, "I've just been working with my dad and other odd jobs."

"That can't be that bad," Tanya said, "I bet you see some exciting stuff as a detective."

"Hardly," Adam said, "My dad pretty much relegated me to paperwork."

Tanya put her hand on Adam's shoulder, " Don't sweat it, everyone starts somewhere hun."

Adam felt his heart began to flutter.

The moment was interrupted by the chirp of their communicators.

"Adam here," he said into the device on his wrist.

"It's Hayley," the voice said. "It looks like Evil Tommy is finally making his move."

"Tell us where and we'll be there," Tanya said.

"Sending you the coordinates now," Hayley said.

"Looks like we're getting back into the actions sooner than I thought," Adam said and stood up.

* * *

When Hayley called Trent to the rock quarry outside of Reefside he was both relieved and terrified. It was better than sitting in an empty house, but he was very much anxious about seeing the dreaded Lord Drakkon again.

Trent stared at the creature among the Tyrannodrones. Were his eyes failing him or was he really looking at Zeltrax? The famous general had taken a noticeable leave during Black Dragon's introduction, and Trent wondered if his notable upgrade was the reason.

Red dots appeared from beneath his spiked armor. His design had become more rough and spiked, but it didn't seem crude, not by a long shot. He took a step towards Trent as the three Zeo Rangers took to the scene. Trent glanced at the three and quickly disregarded them.

Introductions could wait.

Zeltrax began to move again. His legs moved in a very mechanical fashion like pistons and gears were his only dictation. Granted Trent didn't know the specifications of the general he always had a level of personality.

That was all gone.

The Tyrannodrones rushed forward and the Zeo Rangers drew their Zeonizers. In their youth, the three of them would stall and use various martial arts, but it had been years since they last fought and Hayley had instructed them to morph as soon as a threat arose.

"Zeo Ranger II Yellow!" Tanya screamed.

"Zeo Ranger III Blue!" Rocky called.

"Zeo Ranger IV Green!" Adam shouted.

"White Ranger, Dino Power!" Trent said.

The Tyrannodrones quickly surrounded the four Rangers.

"This brings back memories," Zeo Green said as he chopped into the grunts with his hatchets.

"I know what you mean," Zeo Blue said while swinging his laser blade around, "I keep expected Tommy to start bossing us around."

"Guys stop it," Zeo Yellow said, "We have to focus." From the mass of grunts, Zeltrax leaped at Yellow with his giant axe raised. She tried to block with her double clubs but Zeltrax sliced right through them and sent a shower of sparks down her chest.

The White Dino Ranger noticed this and rushed to her aid. Using his enhanced speed he charged in front of Zeltrax and delivered a swift slice with his Draco Blade.

As White Ranger dodged a powerful swung from the black cyborg he could _feel_ how powerful Zeltrax had grown. The general was easily five times as strong as he was before his upgrade.

"Should I send in Wes and Eric?" Hayley asked. The two Rangers were both designed to be sparse backup according to Dr.O's plan. The idea that they may need to be called upon so early only made Trent worry more about the strength of the new enemy.

"No," Trent barked, "I think we've got this." He summoned a volley of energy arrows the splashed against Zeltrax's black armor.

* * *

Hayley could feel a knot building in her stomach as she watched the White Ranger duel against Zeltrax. Things were definitely going pretty poorly, but she wanted to at least respect his wishes.

Still. She sent a none emergency distress call to Wes through their primitive line. It would tell him to be ready for action without having to actually call him in. Tommy was paranoid in just the right ways.

Trent dodged another attack and supplied one of his own, though it was fruitless and the black behemoth kept coming.

Hayley missed Tommy. If he were here things wouldn't be so messed up, Hayley was certain of that.

"You look a little tense," a voice said from behind her. The voice stirred a sick feeling inside, but before she could move a pair of hands planted themselves firmly on her shoulders.

Hayley screamed but it was far too late. Lord Drakkon had her pressed tight against him.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a playful voice. "You didn't seem this scared last time we were alone." He moved his face up to her ear. She squirmed as his hot breath hit against her face.

"Get away from me!" She screamed and fight against his grip.

Hayley managed to escape his grasp, but it only lasted a few moments before he latched back on. He wrapped himself around her torso and held hard enough to give her a rather unpleasant floating feeling.

"Just relax," he said coldly. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Then stop squeezing me so hard!"

"You know I can't do that," Lord Drakkon said. "Not until I get what I need."

"And that is?"

" _You…_ " He spoke in a distant voice. "Remember how it felt when we were together?"

"When you were pretending to be someone I trusted?" Hayley asked, "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit sore about that."

"I'm sorry for misleading you. But you know as well as I do that those feelings weren't false." He let Hayley go and she went crashing into the wall.

Her vision blurred and only increased her vertigo.

"I'm not a bad guy," he said.

"Are you gonna give this speech to everyone you see?"

"Would the Tommy of your world act any differently if no one trusted him?" Lord Drakkon asked. Under the pale light, he looked so much like Tommy it was beyond surreal.

"I'll give you one minute to leave," Hayley said in a shaking voice. In truth, she had already signaled for Wes and Eric. It was just a matter of stalling.

"Think back to how you felt," the evil Tommy said, "You loved me. I think you still do."

"Freeze!" A voice called from behind the door. A small ball rolled into the room and exploded with smoke.

Hayley coughed and backed against the wall, hitting her desk in the process and knocking down a monitor.

"Cute trick," Lord Drakkon said. Hayley could just about make up his general shape and he stomped around.

The two Rangers entered the room, whether they were morphed or not was undermined based on the current conditions.

"I won't resist shooting you," Eric called out.

"Good luck hitting me," Lord Drakkon called back.

"I'm willing to take the chance."

"And risk hitting our little innocent bystander?"

It was almost worth chuckling over, Hayley thought as she slid open her drawer and dig inside. She would much rather deal with a gunshot then whatever Lord Drakkon had planned for her.

Suddenly an invisportal ripped through the room, it sucked almost all of the smoke out of the room and gave way to Black Dragon who casually stepped into the room.

The two unmorphed Red Rangers were enveloped with light as their armor surrounded them.

Black Dragon charged at the two Rangers while Lord Drakkon turned his attention back to Hayley.

"You can't outsmart me," he said with a grin. "I'm not as dimwitted as my dimensional counterpart."

Hayley could feel all the blood rush to her head, whether it was her possible concussion or the adrenaline she couldn't tell. She gripped the device in her hands but Lord Drakkon didn't seem to notice. Instead, his eyes were locked on her chest and hips.

"Maybe just one last time," he mused. "For old time's sake."

"Screw off! You can forget about that."

"I wasn't asking you."

That was all Hayley needed to hear. Without a doubt, she knew she was ready to do whatever had to be done.

She was going to kick his ass.

The battle between the Silver Guardian Rangers and Black Dragon was causing quite a bit of noise but it was nothing but background chatter to Hayley. Lord Drakkon was a few steps away from Hayley, and it was now or never.

She threw the twin braces up and connected them together. She could feel their power surging through her. Tommy had trusted her with the powers in hopes that Jason would take them but it appeared as if fate had different plans.

"Zeo Ranger Five!" She screamed as red lightning arched across her body.

* * *

The White Ranger dodged another swing from Zeltrax. The two had been locked in that dance for the last twenty minutes and Trent didn't know how much longer he could keep it up. The amount of morphin energy he was ciphering was taking a major toll on his stamina and he felt as if any moment he might collapse.

"This ends now White Ranger," Zeltrax barked in a monotone voice. From his hand, he shot a pale blue energy beam that splashed against the White Ranger and sent him crashing to the ground.

The White Ranger skidded across the ground as sparks erupted below his body.

Zeltrax wasted no further time in jumping over the White Ranger and repeatedly smashing his axe into the Ranger's chest.

Cracks glowing yellow light spread around his armor and Trent could feel his energy slipping away.

Zeltrax lifted his axe up one final time. It began to glow white with a wispy energy. Trent didn't know much about Mesogog's technology, but he knew Anton, and he was nowhere near energy manipulation to this degree.

Just as Zeltrax prepared to swing his blade down he was abruptly hit with a powerful wave of yellow energy that slammed him to the ground.

From Trent's cracked visor he saw the figure clad in a black hood standing right against Zeltrax.

The cyborg swung its axe and the figure ducked before firing a small energy pistol. The energy splashed against Zeltrax and sent a rush of sparks from the General's body.

"You guys need to get out of here," the voice barked to the four Rangers. "Like right now."

As Trent stared up at the gloved figure he noticed something strange, he was seeming to be missing one of his fingers.

"Come on, kid," the man said. "Don't look a racehorse in the mouth."

As Zeltrax stood himself up the figure knocked him down with a slew of energy strikes.

"I don't think I can actually damage him," the man admitted, "But I can keep holding him off."

The White Draco Ranger didn't know exactly what to say or even think about saying. He didn't see a Morpher on the man's wrist, instead, he saw a set of pistols on his hip.

He wasn't a Ranger, he was a soldier.

"Thanks," White Ranger muttered.

The three Zeo Rangers had already gotten the hint and when Trent ran they followed.

* * *

"Well, that's a surprise," Lord Drakkon said with a hint of amusement. "You donned Tommy's old duds. It's almost cute."

Hayley could feel the Morphing energy flowing through her body. It danced across her spirit and energized her entire body. It also fed her spirit with the knowledge to fight, something she had never had in her entire life.

In a rush of light, she summoned her Zeo Saber.

"I'd take a step back," She said in a stern voice.

"Like I'm scared of a toothpick wielding another toothpick."

Hayley screamed and swung down with her blade, but even though it flew with powerful speed Lord Drakkon moved faster. He dodged it flawlessly and delivered a kick to her lower torso.

"Enough of this!" Lord Drakkon screamed and readied his own Power Morpher.

That was when the sound of the front door opening alerted Hayley's ears. The noise must have been known to Black Dragon as well. Because he looked at Black Dragon and the machine stopped slamming the Time Rangers together and leaped with him into the portal.

Hayley sighed and let the Zeo powers flee her body.

Wes and Eric also demorphed though they definitely looked worse for wear.

"We're gonna need more," Eric muttered. "That's all I know."

"You're not wrong," Hayley said. Her body was in full tremors. "This is no way as simple as I thought it was going to be."

* * *

Lord Drakkon slammed a glass test tube against the wall as he screamed in anger.

"Goddamn!" He howled.

"Why are you so angry?" Conner asked. "Those Zeo Rangers are old news. Nothing we can't handle."

"I don't care about them," he said. _I care about HER._

Why was she so ingrained in his brain? Lord Drakkon had never felt something so intense and it was driving him crazy. The feeling would rattle around his chest at nauseum.

He just wanted it to stop.

* * *

 _The following report is to be transferred to a secure network before being disposed of._

 **Agent Z 5/15/2004:**

 **It certainly seems that the rumors surrounding the return of the Zeo Rangers turned out to be true.**

 **I am comforted in their arrive but it doesn't really make me happy.**

 **Well…anyway, at least there are Rangers to fight against Lord Drakkon.**

 **Speaking** **of Rangers, Agent J remains unable to locate the base of the Wind Ninja Rangers. Though he claims to be incredibly close.**


	3. Chapter 3

Ethan looked down at the gruel on his plate. The stuff looked like it had already been pushed through ten separate filters and it still looked toxic.

Hard to believe he had once considered school food inedible.

"Let me guess," Billy said in a sarcastic voice, "Blue Ranger?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. He had decided to give up on the silent treatment. There was no point trying to seem tough anyway.

"I remember being Blue," Billy mused. "It wasn't easy. I felt like I was practically pulling the whole team behind me."

"No kidding," Ethan said with a smirk.

"Jason was the worst," Billy said. "He was too hard headed. It was like I was the only one trying to think things through."

" _Right_!" Ethan exclaimed. "Conner is the same way. Don't get me wrong Kira tries to think about things, but she just doesn't have a strategic mindset."

"So how good are you with hardware?" Billy asked.

Ethan shrugged, "I fixed my Xbox disk drive last month."

"Hmmm," Billy said and rubbed his faint stubble, "Don't think that'll help us much."

"I'm pretty good with software," Ethan added, "I'm taking an advanced programming class."

"Let me get back to you on that," Billy said and began to work on something in the corner of the room. He peeled copper wire out of his jacket and played with a dismantled motherboard and a broken remote control.

"You had all of that this whole time?" Ethan asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course," Billy muttered. "I had more before they confiscated it."

"And I don't suppose you're gonna Macgyver your way out of here with all of that?"

"I guess you could say that," Billy said and stripped the remote control of its motherboard.

"Why start now?" Ethan asked.

"I needed someone who could cover my back," Billy replied simply.

"And how do you know I'm gonna do that?"

Billy smiled. "Us Blue's gotta stick together."

 _Us Blue's gotta stick together._ Talk about cheesy as hell. Still, Ethan was definitely starting to warm up to the interdimensional traveler. He was strange and distant, though it seemed to born from awkward indifference more than anything else.

"Any luck?" Ethan asked as Billy stood hunched over his makeshift contraption.

"Definitely trying," Billy muttered, "Maybe with an actual solder gun."

Billy pulled his hand away from his iron rod and blew onto his singed finger, cursing softly.

"So what happened to you?" Ethan asked. "From Dr.O's documents you were a little more… nerdy?"

"I can't speak for the Billy of your world," he replied halfheartedly. "But things took a pretty sharp turn when I was sent to Aquatar to inherit the Lexicon."

"What's that?"

"It's the history of every Power Ranger team ever conceived. The wisdom of every mentor, the courage of every warrior. The ultimate legacy." Billy explained. His hand moves away from techno task and his eyes seemed to drift around the room. "The last Lexicon was murdered on Eltar and they needed someone to take his place. Unfortunately, Zordon chose me."

At first thought, Ethan related that to the video documentary Dr.O had made over the years, but as he stared into the pain and truth buried in Billy's eyes Ethan began to realize the former blue wasn't being metaphorical.

"So how did they give it to you?" Ethan asked. "Like in a box, or like a promo code, or written on a scroll."

"They implanted it directly into my brain."

"Oh," Ethan said, "Sounds like a blast."

"What's all that chatting about," a voice called from the hallway. Ethan felt a pulsing anger.

Conner stepped into the room. His eyes carried nothing but malice, and he wore a cocky grin on his face.

"I hope you're drafting your surrender."

"We're already locked up," Ethan spat. "So there's really no use in surrendering."

"You know what I mean," Conner said. In a brief flash, Ethan got a glimpse of his old friend. "We don't have to be enemies."

"Are you having a change of heart?" Ethan asked, "Because otherwise, I'm going to have to pass."

Conner looked momentarily hurt, but that quickly shifted back to his superior expression. "Suit yourself. I bet your mom is worried sick about you, same with Kira's parents. It would just be a lot easier if you guys listened to reason."

* * *

 _I told you he wouldn't listen._ Conner said, merely a voice in his own body. Somehow his transformation had given the White Ranger Clone more control over himself then he had. Granted, there were moments when the evil essence would slip and Conner would regain some control but those moments were few and far between.

Conner approached Lord Drakkon and bowed. Conner could sense both deep respect and powerful hatred for the alternate Tommy. Conner respected Lord Drakkon like a father. He was harsh, but it was necessary. Conner knew that Lord Drakkon had the world's best intentions in mind.

 _I wouldn't be sure,_ the White Ranger spoke. Apparently, Conner had been thinking far too loudly. _Lord Drakkon is nothing more than a snake._

 _Then why do you respect him?_

 _It takes one to respect one._

After a few heavy stepped Black Dragon stepped into the room. This stirred quite the reaction in the White Ranger. It also left him confused. Black Dragon was nothing but a mindless machine linked to Lord Drakkon's consciousness.

These expressions of doubt gave Conner minor anxiety, the White Ranger needed to _keep_ his loyalty to Lord Drakkon. At least until Conner could find a way to regain control.

"I'm going on a little business trip," Lord Drakkon explained. "If you need anything tell Black Dragon."

* * *

Trent sat nervously in the office in Silver Hills. Admittedly he hadn't spent very much time there. Once when he was younger Anton had brought him down. That was before Time Force and before it became the global epicenter of military technology.

"Thank you for coming," Wes Collins said as he stepped into the office. The first red flag came from the fact he was wearing a suit.

Wes sat down across from Trent. His face was stern and emotionless. He folded his hands together and said, "I heard about what happened with your dad, and I'm really sorry."

Trent felt a snag in his chest, he wasn't really in the mood for sympathy.

"Just tell me what you want."

"I know about Mesogog," Wes said in a soft voice.

"Stop," Trent said and shot up, "Just stop okay? You _don't_ understand."

"When I was a little older than you, my dad was on his deathbed. You're right, I don't know exactly how you feel, but I have a pretty good idea." Wes's face took on a more serious expression. It was at that moment you could perfectly see that he was raised by a businessman. "This isn't about that though, this is about stopping Lord Drakkon."

Trent stared at his seat silently a few moments before sitting back down.

"Your father's company is decades ahead of anything else in the world. His cybernetic technology is exactly what we need."

"What does that have to do with me?" Trent asked, squirming in his seat.

"Anton arranged for you to take control of the company in his absence," Wes said.

There was a heavy silence in the room as Trent tried to process exactly what was told to him.

"I'm willing to offer you six billion dollars for all of your father's patents, facilitates and ninety percent of his stock. That way you can get the pressure off your shoulder and we can better humanity."

Trent felt like something was nesting in his throat. His throat had gone helplessness dry and his head was spinning.

"Additionally," Wes continued, "It would give us access to all of Mesogog's digital assets. We could spy on Lord Drakkon from the island and stay one step ahead of him."

Trent nodded. Six billion was a large chunk of change, and Wes was making a lot of sense.

"I-I don't know," Trent said. "I think I need more time to think about it."

Wes nodded and sighed, "I expected as much. Don't worry, we'll stay in touch."

Trent stood up, feeling numb and dissociated. Before he knew it his hand was shaking Wes's and he was stepping outside.

* * *

Lord Drakkon took a step where mortals hadn't walked in centuries. Long narrow hallways lined with sandstone and gold carvings. His invisportal had brought him miles under Egypt, where an ancient evil was set to rest.

He could feel the negative energy. It flowed through the hall, set to fester for ten thousand years.

Lord Drakkon stepped into the main chamber. Gold statues of gods and monsters alike stood like loyal soldiers awaiting combat. Humanity was still trying to discover how not to kill each other with rocks when this structure had been constructed.

In the middle of the room sat the golden platform. It was engraved with an illustration of powerful disasters, dead crops, burning forests, and creatures of all sorts of horrifying.

Resting against three separate support claws was a giant purple egg.

Lord Drakkon had been told of this ancient fiend by Lord Zedd back in his home dimension. Though that knowledge had come with the warning of never letting it be released.

Lord Drakkon pressed his hand against the sturdy shell. It had been put in place to make sure the evil within remained contained until the end of the universe.

Lord Drakkon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He allowed his own aura to flow through the membrane and kick-start the evil.

The shell began to vibrate. It continued to do so until a large crack formed in its center. Foul-smelling smoke rolled out of the ancient egg and quickly filled the room.

Next came the oozing slime.

The purple gunk slid out as the shell continued to collapse.

When the shell collapsed completely a purple-skinned creature clad in a magician's robe stood among the pool of slime.

He looked at Lord Drakkon and frowned. "What makes _you_ think you have the authority to wake me up? I was just in the middle of a pretty good dream anyway!" A crude grin formed on his face. "It doesn't matter, I could use a snack."

The purple slime suddenly took on a life of its own and began to coil around Lord Drakkon like a serpent.

Once it fully surrounded him it exploded with a pulse of white light that exploded the slime and threw it against the sandstone. Lord Drakkon was once again in his Ranger form.

"A pesky power brat huh?" The creature said. "Did Zordon send you to finally finish me off?"

"Zordon's dead." Lord Drakkon said with some satisfaction.

The purple creature burst into a fit of laughter, "That's something I never thought I'd hear. I outlived _Zordon of Eltar_! I'm pretty sure minor gods lost some heavy bets with that one!"

Despite the creature's cocky expression and cheesy voice Lord Drakkon never for a second took his guard down. "I'm sure you know I didn't release you just to deliver a galactic newsletter."

The creature rolled his eyes, "Ten thousand years later and Earth is still populated by a bunch of sour sports."

"I need your help," Lord Drakkon explained. "After I get what I need you can go and do whatever you like."

"And just what is it you need?" The creature asked with a raised brow.

"I have some Rangers due for a good ass kicking."

"Say no more!" The creature exclaimed. "I've got ten thousand years of angst built up and ready to go."


	4. Chapter 4

Rocky had a bad feeling about this. He looked at Tanya for some kind of support but she remained unreadable. Something about her time as a spokeswoman had given her spectacular control over her facial expressions.

"Hayley said she couldn't identify the energy signal," Rocky said out loud, "Don't you think that's a little weird?"

Adam shrugged, "We've been doing this a lot longer than she has, odds are we probably won't be too surprised."

"Don't say that," Tanya muttered, "For the love of God _don't_ say that."

"You must be the Power Rangers!" A booming voice called to the three, "I've been expecting you."

The three turned and caught sight of the strange purple wizard.

"Ugh," Tanya spat, "They sure aren't getting any prettier."

Rocky grinned and armed his Zeonizer, "So are you gonna tell us who you are? Or is that gonna wait until _after_ we kick your butt?"

"I wouldn't be so cocky," the wizard muttered. He threw out his hand and leaked small dribbles of purple slime from his fingertips that splattered against the ground. From there the slime grew and morphed into warrior styled clones of the wizard. "I am Ivan Ooze." He proclaimed, "The Disciple of Destruction!"

The Oozemen charged and the three Rangers morphed.

* * *

Hayley watched as the three Zeo Rangers fought against the Oozemen. It seemed that Ivan's grunts were definitely more of a threat then the standard Tyrannodrones. They were stronger, more ruthless, even able to withstand multiple attacks from each of the Ranger's main weapons.

Hayley looked down at Red Zeonizer on the table and frowned. She knew that it was best for her to stay as their eye and ears but she also knew she had the power to fight.

Was it a power or a responsibility?

A tap of footsteps echoed into the room. "Shouldn't you be out there?" She asked.

"I can't," Trent said with his head down.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't sell the company," He proclaimed in a deflated tone.

Hayley watched as a pair of Oozemen crowded around Zeo Green and began to pound into him.

"Yeah?" Hayley asked. "Are you sure that's the most important things going on right now?"

"I mean my dad worked his whole life to get the company going," Trent explained, "Don't you think that selling it would be disrespectful?"

"I don't think I'm the one to be making that decision," Hayley said, "And I also think you should probably be looking over at the monitor."

Trent looked at the screen and frowned. "Shit…"

The three Zeo Rangers were on the ground as Ivan Ooze stood over them.

The wizard's smile made Hayley's blood run cold.

* * *

Adam grunted and held his bruised rib. How had things turned sour so quickly?

Ivan Ooze was supposed to be another lacky, and they had been smashing guys like him for about a decade now.

So how had he managed to overpower them so easily?

"I'm impressed that Zordon managed to split the Zeo Crystal into an entire Ranger team," Ivan Ooze said. "Unfortunately it still won't be enough power."

"Luckily they have back up," Trent said as he stepped into the battlefield. Following behind him was Eric Myers.

"I'd throw out a few one liners myself," Eric said, "But I'm saving my energy for when I kick your ass."

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

"Quantum Power!"

"Listen to me closely, kid," Eric barked, "Don't do anything crazy."

Before the White Ranger could nod the Oozemen were upon them.

Trent's Draco Saber sliced right through the Oozemen, but as soon as it left their slimy body they would easily recover.

"These guys are really something," Eric said and threw a blob of purple slime off his hand.

"If that 'something' happens to be disgusting, I can agree" The White Ranger muttered.

"Two more?" Ivan Ooze muttered casually, "That's good, I was worried things were going to get boring."

"Hardly," The White Ranger spat.

For a brief moment there was a visible gap in the Oozeclones and Ivan Ooze was completely unprotected.

Trent didn't think twice before rushing to take advantage of the moment. He charged for the slimy wizard. His body was a blur of motion as he sped past the oblivious soldiers.

His Draco Saber swung down at an almost undetectable speed.

But Ivan still caught it.

The purple wizard looked down at Trent and laughed. "You're brash, I'll give you that. Just remember, there's a reason brash is only a letter off from trash."

A stray red energy blast seared into Ivan's side. He scowled and looked at cloaked figure wielding an energy pistol.

"If you can't tell I'm in the middle of something," the wizard barked. "If you want to be annihilated so bad you'll have to wait your turn."

Ivan Ooze turned his back on the cloaked figure, but it simply fired again.

"I don't think you understand," Ivan said, "I'm the Ooze guru, the slime king, the Disciple of Destruction. Who the hell do you think you are?"

There was a surprising amount of tension floating in the air.

Adam felt a sinking feeling, knowing that whoever the cloaked warrior was probably had no idea what they were getting into.

Out from behind them stepped another figure. This one seemed bulkier and more intimidating.

"Since you both wasted so much time on an introduction you better make it worth it," Ivan Ooze spat.

Then the bulkier of the two drew a Power Morpher.

"It's Morphin' Time!" The cloaked figure called before being enveloped in a bright light. "Tyrannosaurus!"

The Red Ranger wasted no time and rushed at Ivan Ooze with his Power Sword raised. His cloaked companion stuck to the shadows and offered support with his energy blaster.

The Red Ranger swung down and managed to slice a large gash across Ivan's side. The wizard dropped the White Ranger as he screamed in frustration.

"I haven't seen that armor in quite sometime," Ivan marveled with a nostalgic smile. "Unfortunately it doesn't look as flattering on you."

"Can it Slime Brain!" The Red Ranger shouted and swung his sword down again.

Ivan Ooze caught the blade with little trouble. "You got lucky the first time, don't think you can keep hitting me." The wizard ripped the Power Sword from his hand and tossed it across the street.

The White Ranger jumped in for support but Ivan easily knocked him away with a bolt of purple lighting. "You too? I thought we had already talked about this."

Ivan stood calm and confident. The shock of the Red Ranger's arrival had worn off and He had shifted back into his cocky self.

Then another figure appeared out of the woodwork. No, like literally out of thin air.

"I swear how many of you punks are there?" Ivan Ooze asked.

"Just me, for now." The figure said. Instead of being cloaked they wore a leather ninja uniform.

Adam was actually kinda jealous. His ninja outfit seemed like a pair of pajamas in comparison to that suit.

Ivan looked around himself. He was actually surrounded. Sure, only two of them were Rangers but the others seemed to be competent fighters themselves.

"We'll talk again when you guys wanna play fair," Ivan Ooze proclaimed and disappeared in a flash of purple lightning.

The Red Ranger turned to Trent and the Zeo Rangers. "I'm sorry we had to have such a rushed introductions."

Adam suddenly realized he knew that voice. "It can't be…"

The Red armor melted away and the figure lifted his hood. "Well who else would be sporting that old suit, I mean Rocky's right there."

Jason Lee Scott smiled.

The Zeo Rangers demorphed and rushed to their old friend. During the Machine Empire's campaign he had temporarily taken the mantle of the Gold Ranger.

"I see…" the other cloaked figure said. "Not even single face excited to see me." He pulled down his hood and it was none other than Zack Taylor.

"Where have you guys been?" Rocky asked.

"Well that's sort of a long story," Jason said.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "Not to mention it's kinda top secret. So maybe we could talk about somewhere more discreet."

"Yeah," Jason said, "But before that we should probably introduce our other friend."

"Oh yeah," Zack said. "I actually forgot about you."

"No worries," she said, "I'm a ninja, that's kinda the job."

She ripped off her uniform and revealed her beautiful tanned form.

Adam was actually breathless.

"This is Tori Hanson. Water ninja of the Wind Ninja Academy."

"And former Blue Ranger," she said with a smirk.

"No kidding?" Adam said with a smirk. "I didn't they had girl Blue Rangers."

"Is that suppose to mean something?" Tori asked with a side glare at the Green Ranger.

"No,no. I mean, I think it's cool."

Tori just rolled her eyes.

"So you wanna tell us what all this about?" Tanya asked. "Why all the secrets and robes?"

"Let me handle that," Zack said with a smile. He reached into his pocket and drew an I.D badge. "Jason and I are members of the Intergalactic Surveillance and Extraterrestrial Response Force. I.S.E.R.F for short."

"So what, like Men in Black?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah," Zack said with an even wider grin. "Something like that."

"So that brings us to the next question," Tanya asked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"The government has been doing experiments themselves, but with the Morphing Grid and anything else they can get a hold of," Jason explained, "and they've noticed something that I'm sure you guys have already noticed."

"Like the fact there's a giant hole in the universe," Zack said.

"Wait, what?" Adam asked.

"You guys didn't know?" Jason asked, "Our guys have been tracking it for a while now. It's just gotten big enough to swallow the M-51 galaxy.

Adam's inside were quickly turned to slush. "You guys better go talk to Hayley."

* * *

When the purple guy stepped into the room Ethan knew something was horribly wrong. It wasn't the sheer power and arrogance the wizard carried. Instead it was the pale, terrified expression on Billy's face.

"Ivan Ooze…" Billy muttered to himself.

The new creature turned to Billy and smiled. "An educated chap, I love a good scholar!"

"How are you here? Zordon locked you away ten thousand years ago."

"I was starting to get claustrophobic, and I ran out of shows to watch," the wizard said.

"Why'd you come down here?" Billy asked. He had pushed his nearly complete contraption into the shadows and Ethan could see him glance at it from the corner of his eye.

"I heard you come from a parallel reality. Isn't that exciting? In all of my time as a cosmic troublemaker that hadn't been possible. Someone messed up real bad, and it seems as if the universe itself is getting ready for one big reboot."

"Even you can realize why we need to find a way to fix that," Billy said.

"Quite the contrary," Ivan Ooze said. "Right now I'm just a morphological lifeform, but if this Lord Drakkon guy can do what he plans I can become a God."

"You're insane!"

Ivan Ooze shrugged, "It just comes with the territory." The wizard strolled out of the room.

Billy stared at Ethan with a look of pure terror. "We're out of time. We have to get out of here tonight."

 **A/N: It's been a _long_ time since I updated this story, so here you go (: I actually have a decent amount of backlog on it that I stumbled upon it while looking for inspiration. I think I might come back to a this AU for my next story. **


	5. Chapter 5

Hayley nodded gravely as the two former Rangers recounted their story. She sighed and rubbed her temple. "This is definitely worse than I thought it would be."

"I get that the whole universe falling apart is pretty bad," Tori said after a few moments of silence. "But stopping Lord Drakkon and this Ivan Ooze guy should be our first priority."

"She's right," Adam near instantly replied. "I mean, there's no point in worrying about the universe if our world is already doomed."

"That's true," Rocky agreed.

"That's not entirely true," Tanya shot back. "We have other planets we can go to if things get too bad."

"Say that to the millions of people who'll die," Tori said.

Tanya silently seethed.

"Well thankfully we've already found a way to take care of Ivan Ooze," Jason explained.

"Yeah?" Rocky asked. "Well don't leave us hanging."

"Ivan Ooze is a creature of pure negative energy," Zack explained. "Therefore if we can direct the full power of the Zeo Crystal together we can cancel him out of existence."

"There's only one problem," Tanya said. "We only have four of the sub-crystals."

Jason and Zack simply smiled to one another. "Actually we have that covered too." Jason threw a small folder down onto Hayley's desk.

"What's that?" She asked.

"It's a list of all those that boarded Terra Venture."

"You can't be serious…" Adam mumbled.

"That's why it seemed like Kat fell off the face of the Earth!" Tanya exclaimed, "Because she literally did!"

"So how are we going to contact her?" Rocky asked. "Nobody's gotten ahold of Terra Venture since it left the solar system."

"Nobody the government is willing to acknowledge," Jason clarified. "There's a wormhole right outside of the asteroid belt, another strange anomaly we've connected back to the universal deterioration. We also know that the wormhole leads to the planet Mirionoi, a world that the pilgrims of Terra Venture made their home."

"So what then?" Rocky asked, "Does that mean we're all gonna just pack up and go on a big old space adventure?" Rocky's voice was sarcastic but his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Not _all_ of us," Tanya said with a stern expression. "We still need some people to stay behind and hold down the fort until we can get the Zeo Crystal back together."

Nobody spoke for a while.

"I'm staying here," Zack said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the final frontier, but I've got responsibilities here on Earth. Plus Angela would kill me."

"Me too," Jason said, "I mean disregarding the Angela thing. We're both kinda getting paid to keep Earth safe now."

"Well nobody's paying me," Tori said, "And I've always wanted to see an alien world."

"I'm going too," Adam said.

"Same," Tanya said abruptly.

Rocky looked from Adam to Hayley. "I gotta stick with my team. Besides, I didn't get invited to the moon, so I'm not gonna miss out on this too."

Jason rolled his eyes, "I meant to invite you, but I couldn't get your address."

"Yet somehow you managed to get a hold of the freaking Aquitar Ranger," Rocky was still grinning but Jason seemed a little annoyed.

"I'm staying," Hayley said.

"Well actually…" Jason, "We were kinda hoping you could fly the ship."

Hayley grew pale and frowned, "Wait… are you telling me everyone _else_ gets a choice but me?"

"We didn't get a choice," Wes said. "Eric and I have to stay here to help manage to the Silver Guardians and remain as backup."

"I'm staying too," Trent said. "I'm sorry I messed up earlier but I want to keep protecting Reefside."

"Well I guess it's decided," Jason said. "The five of you will be escorted to NASADA tomorrow morning."

"You're not even gonna let me defend myself?" Hayley asked.

"Sorry," Jason said, "When you put that Morpher on your wrist you decided that the fate of the world comes first."

"Just because I wasn't around when Zordon gave you your powers doesn't mean I was born yesterday," Hayley spat. She quickly stormed out of the room and didn't look back.

* * *

Billy gave Ethan one last look before bending over his contraption. "We won't have a surplus of time after I set this off. We need to find out Morphers and get out. Preferably as fast as possible."

Ethan nodded. He didn't know what was coming next, but he was ready regardless.

Billy fingered the makeshift button. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Billy flicked the button. A small beeping noise echoed around the room and the impenetrable steel doors swung open.

Sirens immediately followed.

Ethan ran behind Billy who rushed forward like a scared rabbit. Ethan could hear the Tyrannodrones coming but he couldn't afford to look. He couldn't even afford to _think_ about them.

The two turned into a hallway only to discover it completely infested with those robotic dinosaurs.

Instead, they turned back into the adjacent hallway.

They did this twice more before realizing they were lost.

"I'm a little disappointed. All you both had to do was just sit still and not cause any trouble."

Lord Drakkon was standing in the hallway.

His white armor was on but his helmet was under his arm. The corner of his mouth twitched into a grin. It was clear to Ethan at this point that the two of them were merely pawns, something to kill the time.

"Poor, poor Ethan," Lord Drakkon said with a showman's frown. "I had so much faith in you…"

"Can it!" Ethan spat, "You don't care about anything other than your own ambitions."

Lord Drakkon shrugged, "That may be true, but I'm also a man of compromise, and I'm willing to offer a share of my power to anyone willing to help me achieve my goals."

From behind Lord Drakkon stepped Conner. The site of his friend stirred strange feelings inside Ethan. He knew he was supposed to feel angry, but it had been so long since he'd been with his any of his teammates he actually felt desperate for that old connection.

"I wish I could say that I won't enjoy this," Conner said as he armed his Morpher.

Ethan felt his insides tense up. Lord Drakkon was bad enough, but there was no way they could hold their own against two Rangers.

"Ethan!" A voice exclaimed. He recognized instantly but it was more confused than anything else.

Elsa stood from just beyond the ranks of Tyrannodrones.

"What are you doing?" Lord Drakkon asked. He was more confused than angry.

Clearly, he hadn't seen the Morphers in her hand.

Conner had though, and a mask of fury bloomed over his face,

"Stop her!" He screamed and pressed the button on his Morpher. "Triassic Slayer!" He called as his crimson armor came over him.

Her body shifted into her scaly form as she cut into the oncoming Tyrannodrones.

With one chuck she threw both Morphers into the air.

They flew through the air with a few elegant twirls, and Ethan and Billy both caught them.

Lord Drakkon was fuming. He put his helmet back on his head and turned to the two Rangers. "I'm tired of both of you."

The White Ranger came rushing forward. His speed was impeccable, moving with a sort of deranged and yet still calculated rhythm.

"Dino Thunder, power up!"

"Phantom Power!"

The Blue Ranger just barely missed the White Ranger's swinging fist. The evil Ranger cursed and threw out his foot, kicking him in the ribs and forcing sparks out of his armor.

The Triassic Slayer came next. He stalked forward with his golden blade in hand. He swung like a guillotine, slicing into the Phantom Ranger's armor and erupting a rush of energy.

He laughed maniacally as he continued his onslaught.

"You can still join us," Lord Drakkon said. "I'm giving you one last chance."

"Forget it," Blue said without a moment's hesitation.

"That's a shame. You had potential."

"Still do, helmet head," The Blue Ranger said and his fist into Lord Drakkon. He didn't care if his line was cheesy, or even that it was actually self-ridiculing because Lord Drakkon had been caught off guard and was flying backward.

Lord Drakkon quickly regained himself and prepared to rush forward but a pair of strong scaly arms wrapped around him.

"Let go of me this instant!" He roared at Elsa.

Mesogog's former General looked up at Ethan with pleading eyes. "You have to find the real Tommy. As much as I hate to admit it he's the only one who can save us!"

Lord Drakkon chuckled and peeled her hands off his armor. "I hope you enjoyed your little rebellion." He grabbed hold of her humanoid head. She struggled hard against his tight grip, but it was hopeless.

With one powerful jerk, he snapped her neck.

The Phantom Ranger had managed to blast the Triassic Slayer away from him. He ran to the Blue Ranger and grabbed him.

"We have to get out of here," he called. "The exit should be this way." He tugged on the Blue Ranger but he didn't budge.

"I'm sorry," Blue muttered. "But I can't do that." He ran off, going towards neither the exit nor Lord Drakkon.

"We seriously don't have time for this," the Phantom Ranger said. "We got away from Lord Drakkon by sheer _luck_."

"Elsa was right."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's only one person who can save us."

The Blue Ranger summoned his blaster and shot through the steel doors. Finster jumped in surprise, his black monsters eyes widened with excitement.

"Give me the dimensional teleporter," he barked.

"Excuse me?" Finster asked in disbelief.

"You're insane!" The Phantom Ranger exclaimed. "This is the stupidest idea I've ever seen."

The Blue Ranger wasn't paying attention anymore. He had pushed Finster aside and grabbed the device.

"It's unstable," Finster cried, "I haven't found a way to accurately triangulate the decent. You could be transported right into a brick wall."

"I'll take my chance," Blue said and pressed the button. By that time a posse of Ooze Clones and Ivan Ooze himself had leaked inside.

The green portal opened up. Blue could feel its immense power. There was a flash of uncertainty in his chest. But it was too late now.

With one last deep breath, Ethan jumped into the portal.

* * *

Hayley sat alone in Cyber Space. She knew that she should be sleeping, but she was far too wired, too filled with anger.

How could they assume she was their pawn. She wasn't some disposable scientist. She was a freelance engineer, a self-taught entrepreneur, it didn't get much more independent than that.

A knocking at the shop door broke her back into reality. She grumbled to herself and swung the door open.

It was Rocky.

"What do you want?"

"I know you're upset."

"Well, that's perceptive."

"I'm trying to say that I get how you feel."

Hayley wanted to continue her wall of attitude, but Rocky had such a childlike look in his eyes. He was far too earnest for snark.

"Look," he said. "I'm really sorry they forced you into this. You have a right to be mad."

Hayley just nodded.

"But they trapped you into this because you're the only one who can do this and they know that."

"Well if they've been secretly building a rooster why'd they make a big thing out of letting you guys pick?"

"Because everyone else is disposable. We're just bodies. It doesn't matter if it's me or Jason out there. We both can wave a sword and kick ass. You're the only one of us who's smart enough to fly a spaceship. This isn't Ranger tech, our suits wouldn't tell us how to fly it. I can hardly even drive."

For a few moments, this made Hayley even angrier. She knew Rocky was right.

"We need you, Hayley," Rocky said. "I'm not here to force you to do anything you don't want to. I'm here to _ask_ you."

Hayley felt a moment of deflation. Her shoulders sagged and she grunted slightly. She'd already known what Rocky was saying, but her anger mixed with the feeling of entrapment until she had completely denied the feelings. "I'll be there tomorrow."

Rocky grinned. "Thank you."

* * *

Ivan Ooze looked down at the Oozemen glowing with moonlight. Each one had a pickaxe in hand and they were steadily tearing into the dirt. It was tough, tedious work, but it would be done no matter what.

Lord Drakkon was really nothing but an overzealous human, a mortal with his eyes set on the divine.

But he did have a good idea.

Ivan Ooze grinned to himself, never in his eternal existence would he have been able to put together such an ingenious scheme.

And he was all for it.

 **A/N: Well that officially concludes this chapter in the series. It's weird to think about how much has changed since I started this series, Lord Drakkon hadn't even been revealed as an alternate Tommy yet!**

 **Next week there should be an update (fingers crossed) But I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to structure the next story. Anyway, see you then!**

 **-Shadowhenshin**


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